New Mazda Rotary-Powered Concept
MAZDA has all but confirmed its intention to reintroduce rotary powertrain technology to its range via a front-engined rear-drive sports car previewed by its striking RX-Vision Tokyo show car.
While Mazda stopped short of officially announcing that the concept has been given the green light, it is understood that a production version of the rotary powered performance hero will go on sale in about 2020, in time for the 50th anniversary of the mass-produced rotary engine.
Mazda has not revealed any technical details on the reborn rotary, but it announced that the power train will take the SkyActiv-R name, falling under the banner of the company’s family of fuel-efficient petrol and diesel engines.
The Japanese car-maker said in a release that the RX-Vision represents “a vision of the future that Mazda hopes to one day make into reality; a front-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car with exquisite, Kodo design-based proportions only Mazda could envision, and powered by the next-generation SkyActiv-R rotary engine”.
Mazda attempted to create a design that would encapsulate their entire history of sports car development while also representing the ultimate in styling for a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car. There are still many issues to overcome, but development will continue.
The most recent rotary engine produced by Mazda was the 1.3-litre Wankel under the bonnet of the RX-8 sports car that was killed off in 2012 after a nine-year run.
All versions of the RX-7 that sold from 1978 to 2002 used rotary power. Rotary engines differ from regular internal combustion units in that they generate power via a rotational motion of a triangular rotor.
The same engineers or same engine group who created SkyActiv technologies are working hard on a brand new rotary engine, updating it with the most cutting edge technology. Mazda described the look of the RX-Vision as having a “highly sensual feel”. The production future of the sleek sports car model represents a Mazda dream, but they are not going to let it stay a dream forever.
Penned according to Mazda’s Kodo design philosophy, the RX-Vision features a long Maserati-esque nose and clean rounded lines, with a silhouette that is similar to that of the Mercedes-AMG GT.
There has been speculation that a future rotary-powered sports car would be based on a stretched version of the new-generation MX-5 platform, but this is still unclear.
Some reports suggest that the rotary engine will be paired with a hybrid unit to improve fuel efficiency that was notoriously poor with standard rotary engines.
The Mazda rotary will likely be positioned above the Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 twins to compete against higher-end rivals such as the Jaguar F-Type.